The young men, three of them underage, were caught threatening and attacking Palestinian farmers; They are charged with racially motivated assault.

Liran Levi|Published: 01.25.17 , 18:44

Jerusalem district attorney's office has filed an indictment against an 18-year-old and three teenagers aged 15 – 17 on Monday for attacking and threatening Palestinian farmers. The crimes are said to be racially motivated.

According to the indictment, in the early hours of the morning, the four marched from the Geulat Tzion outpost in the West Bank towards an agricultural field tended to by Palestinian farmers. The four then allegedly threatened the farmers while masked and holding metal rods to stop working and leave the area.

The indictment also claims the four threw stones at the farmers, threatening and driving them away. Undercover policemen then identified themselves to the four and ordered them to stop, but they escaped back towards Geulat Tzion.

One of the suspects at the scene of the crime (Photo: Zakaria Sada)

Judea and Samaria District Police officers who are in charge of the case stated that "during a planned police activity, while several Palestinian farmers plowed their land near the Turmus Ayya village, undercover policemen spotted several masked individuals wielding metal clubs coming towards the farmers from the direction of Geulat Tzion and started throwing rocks at the workers. After a foot chase three teenagers and one adult were caught. The four were arrested and questioned."

The suspects' capture was documented by Rabbis for Human Rights Field Coordinator Zakaria Sada, who said that just two days after the incident settlers enacted acts of revenge in areas close to Turmus Ayya.

Hebrew graffiti spelling out 'Revenge' written two days in an area near the incident (Photo: Yesh Din)

"This clarifies the severity of the situation in the area" said Sada. "It is the duty of the security forces to protect the Palestinians and their property from repeated attacks against them in the West Bank."